JP2010109937A - Comparator and analog-to-digital converter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of timing deviation between two clock signals of different polarities existing in the conventional comparator, and to enable low-power operation, in a comparator and an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter provided with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The comparator is provided, which is provided with: a differential amplifier circuit to which first and second input voltage signals and a clock signal are inputted, and which operates according to the clock signal and outputs first and second output voltage signals corresponding to values of the first and second input voltage signals, respectively, and amplified; and a differential latch circuit which operates according to the first and second output voltage signals, holds and outputs the comparison result of the first and second input voltage signals. The A/D converter is also provided, which is provided with a plurality of comparators. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a comparator and an A / D converter including the comparator, and more particularly to a comparator configured using a plurality of MOS transistors and an A / D converter including the comparator.

  Conventionally, various comparators (comparators) have been proposed for use in analog-to-digital (A / D) converters (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Here, a comparator having a configuration as proposed in Non-Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state before the operation of the comparator (preparation stage), and FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state during the operation. FIGS. 20A to 20C are diagrams showing temporal changes in the output voltage of the comparator, the output voltage of the differential preamplifier circuit section in the comparator, and the clock signal that controls the comparator, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the conventional comparator 400 includes a dynamic differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 disposed on the input side (front stage) and a differential latch circuit unit 300 disposed on the output side (rear stage). Composed. Note that symbols G, S, and D in FIG. 18 indicate the gate terminal, source terminal, and drain terminal of the MOS transistor, respectively.

  The differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 includes three NMOS (Negative channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors 201 to 203 and two PMOS (Positive channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor) transistors 204 and 205. The PMOS transistor has a channel (current path) polarity of p-type, and is turned on when a voltage signal in the “L” state is input to its gate terminal, and a current flows from the source terminal to the drain terminal. It is. On the other hand, an NMOS transistor is an MOS transistor whose channel polarity is n-type, which is turned on when a voltage signal in the “H” state is input to its gate terminal, and current flows from the drain terminal to the source terminal.

  These MOS transistors constituting the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 are connected to each other in a configuration as shown in FIG. 18 so that each transistor performs a predetermined operation. The gate terminals of the NMOS transistors 201 and 202 are connected to input terminals 206 and 207, respectively. The gate terminals of the NMOS transistor 203 and the two PMOS transistors 204 and 205 are connected to a clock terminal 208 to which a clock signal CLK is input. Further, the source terminals of the PMOS transistors 204 and 205 are connected to the power supply terminal 310 of the power supply voltage Vs. That is, the operation of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 is controlled by the clock signal input to the gate terminals of the NMOS transistor 203 and the PMOS transistors 204 and 205.

  The differential latch circuit unit 300 includes four NMOS transistors 301 to 304 and three PMOS transistors 305 to 307. In the differential latch circuit section 300, these MOS transistors are connected to each other in a configuration as shown in FIG. 18 so that each transistor performs a predetermined operation.

  The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 307 in the differential latch circuit section 300 is connected to the clock terminal 311, and the clock terminal 311 receives the clock signal CLK input to the differential preamplifier circuit section 200 (input terminal 208). Is input with a clock signal of opposite phase. The operation of the PMOS transistor 307 is controlled by this antiphase clock signal. That is, the operation of the latch circuit composed of the two NMOS transistors 301 and 302 and the two PMOS transistors 305 and 306 is controlled by controlling the ON / OFF of the PMOS transistor 307 with a reverse phase clock signal. The source terminal of the PMOS transistor 307 is connected to the power supply terminal 310 of the power supply voltage Vs.

  The gate terminals of the NMOS transistors 303 and 304 in the differential latch circuit unit 300 are connected to output terminals (nodes) N1 and N2 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200, respectively. The NMOS transistors 303 and 304 are ON / OFF controlled by the output signal from the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200, and control the current flowing through the latch circuit. That is, the operation of the differential latch circuit unit 300 is controlled by the clock signal input to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 307 and the output voltage signal from the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 input to the NMOS transistors 303 and 304. The

  Next, the operation of the conventional comparator 400 will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS.

  In the operation preparation stage (hereinafter referred to as state 1), as shown in FIG. 18, the clock terminals 208 and 311 of the comparator 400 have clocks in the “L (Low)” state and “H (High)” state, respectively. A voltage is input. In this case, the two PMOS transistors 204 and 205 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 are turned on, and the NMOS transistor 203 is turned off. At this time, since the NMOS transistor 203 is in the OFF state, no through current flows in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200. However, since the PMOS transistors 204 and 205 are in the ON state, the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 is driven by the power supply voltage Vs. The voltages at the nodes N1 and N2 increase. As a result, the voltages Vg1 and Vg2 output from the nodes N1 and N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 200 are both in the “H” state.

  On the other hand, in state 1, since the clock voltage in the [H] state is input to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 307 in the differential latch circuit section 300, the PMOS transistor 307 is turned off. In this case, no current flows through the latch circuit composed of the two NMOS transistors 301 and 302 and the two PMOS transistors 305 and 306 from the power supply voltage Vs side. In state 1, since the gate voltages (Vg1 and Vg2) of the NMOS transistors 303 and 304 in the differential latch circuit unit 300 are in the “H” state, both of these transistors are in the ON state. Thereby, the potentials of the nodes N3 and N4 in the differential latch circuit unit 300 become the same potential as the ground, that is, zero potential. As a result, the voltage values Vo1 and Vo2 output from the output terminals 312 and 313 of the comparator 400 are both in the “L” state.

  20A to 20C, the characteristics before time t1 are the output voltages Vo1 and Vo2 of the comparator 400 in the state 1, the output voltages Vg1 and Vg2 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200, and The state of change in the clock voltage input to the clock terminals 208 and 311 is shown. However, in the characteristics of FIGS. 20A to 20C, the “H” state corresponds to 1V, and the “L” state corresponds to 0V.

  Next, a state during operation of the comparator 400 (hereinafter referred to as state 2) will be described with reference to FIG. However, in the example of FIG. 19, a case is considered in which the voltage value Vi1 input to one input terminal 206 of the comparator 400 is larger than the voltage value Vi2 input to the other input terminal 207 (Vi1> Vi2).

  In state 2, the clock voltage input to the clock terminal 208 changes to the [H] state. As a result, the two PMOS transistors 204 and 205 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 200 are turned off, and the NMOS transistor 203 is turned on. In the state 1 (preparation stage), the voltage values of the nodes N1 and N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 200 are in the “H” state. Therefore, when the NMOS transistor 203 is turned on in the state 2, the NMOS transistors 201 to 203 are turned on. A current flows through the ground to the ground. As a result, the voltage values of the nodes N1 and N2 decrease with time, and transition to the “L” state.

  At this time, however, currents corresponding to the voltage values Vi1 and Vi2 applied to the gate terminals of the two NMOS transistors 201 and 202 flow. In the example of FIG. 19, since Vi1> Vi2, the current flowing through the NMOS transistor 201 is larger than the current flowing through the NMOS transistor 202. As a result, the voltage drop rate with respect to time of voltage Vg1 at node N1 is larger than the voltage drop rate with respect to time of voltage Vg2 at node N2.

  This is shown in FIG. After switching the state of comparator 400 to state 2 (after time t1), voltage Vg1 at node N1 transitions to the “L” state earlier than voltage Vg2 at node N2. Therefore, voltage Vg2 is higher than voltage Vg1 at node N1 until the voltage Vg2 at node N2 transitions to the “L” state after switching the state of the comparator to state 2. That is, during the transition period of the voltage Vg 2 at the node N 2, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 304 in the differential latch circuit unit 300 is higher than the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 303.

  In state 2, the clock voltage input to the clock terminal 311 changes to the [L] state, and the PMOS transistor 307 in the differential latch circuit unit 300 is turned on. As a result, current begins to flow through the latch circuit composed of the two NMOS transistors 301 and 302 and the two PMOS transistors 305 and 306. However, as described above, during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 304 becomes higher than the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 303, so that the potential (Vo1) at the node N3 is equal to the potential (Vo2) at the node N4. ) Slightly higher.

  This is shown in FIG. After switching to the state 2 (after time t1), the voltage Vo1 (solid line) at the node N3 and the potential Vo2 (broken line) at the node N4 both rise with time, but the voltage Vo1 starts to become higher than the voltage Vo2 near the time t2. . As a result, positive feedback acts in the latch circuit composed of the two NMOS transistors 301 and 302 and the two PMOS transistors 305 and 306 (this operation will be described in detail in the description of the present invention described later). As a result, as shown in FIG. 20A, after time t2, the voltage Vo1 of the node N3 continues to rise and is finally fixed to the [H] state. On the other hand, the voltage Vo2 at the node N4 continues to decrease and is finally fixed to the [L] state. As a result, the comparison state (comparison result) of the input voltages Vi1 and Vi2 is held in the differential latch circuit unit 300 and output from the output terminals 312 and 313.

  At this time, the PMOS transistor 305 in the latch circuit whose gate terminal is connected to the node N4 is turned on, and the NMOS transistor 301 is turned off (see FIG. 19). On the other hand, the PMOS transistor 306 in the latch circuit whose gate terminal is connected to the node N3 is turned off, and the NMOS transistor 302 is turned on (see FIG. 19). Furthermore, since the gate voltages Vg1 and Vg2 applied to the two NMOS transistors 303 and 304 are both in the “L” state, the NMOS transistors 303 and 304 are in the OFF state. Therefore, no steady current (through current) flows in the differential latch circuit unit 300. The conventional comparator 400 operates as described above.

D. Schinkel, E. Mensink, E. Klumperink, E. Van Tuiji, B. Nauta: “A Double-Tail Latch-Type Voltage Sense Amplifier with 18ps Setup + Hold Time”, IEEE, ISSCC 2007, Dig. Of Tech. Paper, pp.314-315, Feb. 2007 US Pat. No. 6,084,538

  In the circuit configuration of the conventional comparator described above, the operations of the front-stage differential preamplifier circuit section and the rear-stage differential latch circuit section are controlled by two clock signals having different polarities. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption of the clock circuit is large.

  Further, in the conventional comparator, when a timing skew (deviation) between two clock signals having different polarities occurs, the performance of the comparator is greatly affected. For example, in the comparator 400 shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, when the rising timing of the clock signal input to the clock terminal 208 is earlier than the falling timing of the clock signal input to the clock terminal 311, two NMOS transistors Before the latch circuit composed of 301 and 302 and the two PMOS transistors 305 and 306 operates, the gate voltages of the NMOS transistors 303 and 304 in the differential latch circuit section 200 are in the “L” state. In this case, even if the latch circuit operates, a potential difference does not occur between the nodes N3 and N4, it becomes difficult to compare the input voltage values, and the comparator 400 malfunctions.

  In contrast, when the rising timing of the clock signal input to the clock terminal 208 is later than the falling timing of the clock signal input to the clock terminal 311, the NMOS transistor is also activated when the latch circuit operates. The gate voltages of 303 and 304 remain in the “H” state. In this case, the gate voltages of the NMOS transistors 303 and 304 are both turned on, and a large through current flows in the latch circuit.

  In order to operate the comparator normally without causing the above problem, it is necessary to match the rising / falling timings of two clock signals having different polarities with very high accuracy. Specifically, as described above, the conventional comparator operates by utilizing the difference between the two output voltages from the differential preamplifier circuit section generated immediately after the state is switched. The time td from when the state is switched to when the difference between the two output voltages from the differential preamplifier circuit section begins to occur is approximately 50 to 100 psec as shown in FIG. Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, it is necessary to make the timing shift between two clock signals having different polarities within about several psec. However, in this case, there is a problem that it is very difficult to use because it is necessary to control the timing between two clock signals having different polarities with high accuracy.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems caused by the timing shift between two clock signals having different polarities and to enable low-power operation. Comparator and an A / D converter including the same are provided.

  In order to solve the above problem, in the comparator according to the present invention, the first and second input voltage signals and the clock signal are input, the operation is based on the clock signal, and the values of the first and second input voltage signals are And a differential amplifier circuit section that outputs the amplified first and second output voltage signals. Furthermore, the comparator according to the present invention includes a differential latch circuit unit that operates based on the first and second output voltage signals and holds and outputs the comparison result of the first and second input voltage signals. . In other words, in the present invention, the operation of the differential latch circuit unit is controlled using the first and second output voltage signals output from the differential amplifier circuit unit.

  In the analog-digital converter of the present invention, the input voltage signal, the reference voltage signal to be compared with the input voltage signal, and the clock signal are input, and the comparison result of the input voltage signal and the reference voltage signal is output. The configuration includes a plurality of comparators and an encoder that outputs a digital signal corresponding to the input voltage signal based on the comparison results output from the plurality of comparators.

  In the present invention, the operation of the differential amplifier circuit unit is controlled by the clock signal, but the operation of the differential latch circuit unit is controlled by the first and second output voltage signals output from the differential amplifier circuit unit. Therefore, the rising / falling timing of the signals (first and second output voltage signals) controlled by the differential latch circuit unit does not depend on the timing of the clock signal input to the differential amplifier circuit unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, the above-described problem caused by the timing shift between two clock signals having different polarities can be solved.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the clock signal input to the comparator is only the clock signal input to the differential amplifier circuit unit, the comparator and the A / D including the comparator are low power compared to the conventional one. The converter can be driven.

Hereinafter, examples of a comparator and an A / D converter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following order with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to the following examples.
1. 1. First embodiment: basic configuration example 2. Second embodiment: first configuration example including an offset voltage compensation circuit unit 3. Third embodiment: second configuration example including an offset voltage compensation circuit unit Fourth embodiment: configuration example having an interpolation function

<1. First Embodiment>
[Comparator configuration]
FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration of the comparator of this embodiment. The comparator 10 mainly includes a dynamic differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 disposed on the input side (previous stage) and a differential latch circuit unit 30 disposed on the output side (rear stage). Note that symbols G, S, and D in FIG. 1 indicate a gate terminal, a source terminal, and a drain terminal of the transistor, respectively.

  The differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 (differential amplifier circuit unit) includes three NMOS transistors 21 to 23 and two PMOS transistors 24 and 25. As is apparent from a comparison between the configuration of the comparator 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the configuration of the conventional comparator 400 shown in FIG. 18, the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 of the present embodiment has a conventional difference. The configuration is the same as that of the dynamic preamplifier circuit unit 200. Hereinafter, the connection relationship between the transistors constituting the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 will be described.

  The gate terminal of the forward-side NMOS transistor 21 (hereinafter referred to as the first MOS transistor) is connected to an input terminal 26 to which one input voltage signal Vi1 (first input voltage signal) is input.

  The gate terminal of the inverting NMOS transistor 22 (hereinafter referred to as the second MOS transistor) is connected to the input terminal 27 to which the other input voltage signal Vi2 (second input voltage signal) is input.

  A gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 23 (hereinafter referred to as a third MOS transistor) is connected to a clock terminal 28 to which a clock signal CLK for controlling the operation of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 is input. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the third MOS transistor 23 is connected to the source terminals (output side terminals) of the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the third MOS transistor 23 is grounded.

  The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 24 (hereinafter referred to as a fourth MOS transistor) is connected to the clock terminal 28. The source terminal (input side terminal) of the fourth MOS transistor 24 is connected to the input terminal 41 of the power supply voltage Vs. The drain terminal (output side terminal) of the fourth MOS transistor 24 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the first MOS transistor 21.

  The gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 25 (hereinafter referred to as the fifth MOS transistor) is connected to the clock terminal 28. The source terminal (input side terminal) of the fifth MOS transistor 25 is connected to the input terminal 41 at the power supply voltage Vs. The drain terminal (output side terminal) of the fifth MOS transistor 25 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the second MOS transistor 22.

  In the present embodiment, the fourth MOS transistor 24 and the fifth MOS transistor 25 are ON / OFF controlled by the clock signal CLK input to the clock terminal 28 to activate / deactivate (operate) the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor. Control.

  One output voltage Vg1 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 is a connection point N1 between the first MOS transistor 21 and the fourth MOS transistor 24 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 (first connection point: hereinafter referred to as a node N1). Is output from. The node N1 is connected to two NMOS transistors 33 and 39 (to be described later) in the differential latch circuit section 30 and the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 37. In the present embodiment, the amplified voltage Vg1 corresponding to the voltage signal Vi1 input to the input terminal 26 is output from the node N1, and the voltage signal Vg1 is used to control the operation of the differential latch circuit unit 30. Is used as one clock signal CLK1.

  The other output voltage Vg2 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 is output from a connection point N2 (second connection point: hereinafter referred to as a node N2) between the second MOS transistor 22 and the fifth MOS transistor 25 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. Is done. The node N2 is connected to two NMOS transistors 34 and 40 (to be described later) in the differential latch circuit section 30 and the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 38. In the present embodiment, the amplified voltage signal Vg2 corresponding to the voltage signal Vi2 input to the input terminal 27 is output from the node N2, and the operation of the differential latch circuit unit 30 is controlled by the voltage signal Vg2. And used as another clock signal CLK2.

  On the other hand, the differential latch circuit unit 30 includes six NMOS transistors 31 to 34, 39 and 40 and four PMOS transistors 35 to 38. Hereinafter, the connection relationship between the transistors constituting the differential latch circuit 30 will be described.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 31 (hereinafter referred to as the sixth MOS transistor) is connected to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 35 (hereinafter referred to as the tenth MOS transistor). The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the sixth MOS transistor 31 is connected to the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the tenth MOS transistor 35. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the sixth MOS transistor 31 is grounded.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 32 (hereinafter referred to as the seventh MOS transistor) is connected to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor 36 (hereinafter referred to as the eleventh MOS transistor). The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the seventh MOS transistor 32 is connected to the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the eleventh MOS transistor 36. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the seventh MOS transistor 32 is grounded.

  A connection point N3 (third connection point: hereinafter referred to as node N3) between the drain terminal of the sixth MOS transistor 31 and the drain terminal of the tenth MOS transistor 35 is the gate terminal of the seventh MOS transistor 32 and the gate terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor 36. And the output terminal 42 from which one output voltage Vo1 is output.

  A connection point N4 (fourth connection point: hereinafter referred to as node N4) between the drain terminal of the seventh MOS transistor 32 and the drain terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor 36 is the gate terminal of the sixth MOS transistor 31 and the gate of the tenth MOS transistor 35. A connection point with the terminal (sixth connection point) and the output terminal 43 from which the other output voltage Vo2 is output. That is, the sixth MOS transistor 31, the seventh MOS transistor 32, the tenth MOS transistor 35, and the eleventh MOS transistor 36 constitute a latch circuit.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 33 (hereinafter referred to as the eighth MOS transistor) is connected to the node N1 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the eighth MOS transistor 33 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the sixth MOS transistor 31. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the eighth MOS transistor 33 is grounded.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 34 (hereinafter referred to as the ninth MOS transistor) is connected to the node N 2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the ninth MOS transistor 34 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the seventh MOS transistor 32. The source terminal (output terminal) of the ninth MOS transistor 34 is grounded.

  The PMOS transistor 37 (hereinafter referred to as the twelfth MOS transistor) is a transistor that controls the operation of the inverter composed of the sixth MOS transistor 31 and the tenth MOS transistor 35. The gate terminal of the twelfth MOS transistor 37 is connected to the node N1 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and the twelfth MOS transistor 37 is ON / OFF controlled by the voltage signal Vg1 (CLK1) output from the node N1. The source terminal (input side terminal) of the twelfth MOS transistor 37 is connected to the input terminal 41 for the power supply voltage Vs. Further, the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the twelfth MOS transistor 37 is connected to the source terminal (input side terminal) of the tenth MOS transistor 35.

  The PMOS transistor 38 (hereinafter referred to as a thirteenth MOS transistor) is a transistor that controls the operation of the inverter composed of the seventh MOS transistor 32 and the eleventh MOS transistor 36. The gate terminal of the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 is connected to a node N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 is ON / OFF controlled by a voltage signal Vg2 (CLK2) output from the node N2. The source terminal (input side terminal) of the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 is connected to the input terminal 41 for the power supply voltage Vs. Further, the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 is connected to the source terminal (input side terminal) of the eleventh MOS transistor 36.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 39 (hereinafter referred to as the 14th MOS transistor) is connected to the node N1 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 20. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 is connected to the source terminal (input side terminal) of the tenth MOS transistor 35. The source terminal (output terminal) of the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 is grounded.

  The gate terminal of the NMOS transistor 40 (hereinafter referred to as the 15th MOS transistor) is connected to the node N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 is connected to the source terminal (input side terminal) of the eleventh MOS transistor 36. The source terminal (output terminal) of the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 is grounded.

  In the present embodiment, the reason and effect of providing the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 are as follows. If charge remains at the connection point between the tenth MOS transistor 35 and the twelfth MOS transistor 36, the comparator 10 may malfunction due to the influence of noise. However, when the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 is provided as shown in FIG. 1, the charge remaining at the connection point between the tenth MOS transistor 35 and the twelfth MOS transistor 37 can be discharged by the fourteenth MOS transistor 39, and malfunction is reliably prevented. can do. The reason and effect of providing the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 are the same as those described above. If the influence of noise is small, the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 and the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 need not be provided.

  The configuration of the comparator of the present invention is not limited to the example of FIG. 1, the power supply voltage Vs and the ground point are inverted, the NMOS transistor in FIG. 1 is replaced with a PMOS transistor, and the PMOS transistor in FIG. May be replaced by an NMOS transistor.

[Comparator operation]
Next, the operation of the comparator 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state of the previous stage (preparation stage) of the operation of the comparator 10 (hereinafter, this state is referred to as state 1). FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state during operation of the comparator 10 (hereinafter, this state is referred to as state 2). FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing temporal changes in the output voltage of the comparator 10, the output voltage of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and the clock signal that controls the comparator 10, respectively.

  In the state 1, the clock voltage in the [L] state is input to the clock terminal 28. As a result, the fourth MOS transistor 24 and the fifth MOS transistor 25 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 20 are turned on, and the third MOS transistor 23 is turned off (see FIG. 2).

  In this case, since the third MOS transistor 23 is in the OFF state, no current passing through the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 flows, but since the fourth MOS transistor 24 and the fifth MOS transistor 24 are in the ON state, the power supply voltage Vs The voltages at the nodes N1 and N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 rise. As a result, the voltages Vg1 and Vg2 output from the nodes N1 and N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 20 are both in the “H” state.

  The “H” state voltage Vg1 (CLK1) output from the node N1 is input to the gate terminals of the eighth MOS transistor 33, the twelfth MOS transistor 37, and the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 in the differential latch circuit section 30. As a result, the twelfth MOS transistor 37 is turned off, and the eighth MOS transistor 33 and the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 are turned on.

  On the other hand, the “H” state voltage Vg2 (CLK2) output from the node N2 is input to the gate terminals of the ninth MOS transistor 34, the thirteenth MOS transistor 38, and the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 in the differential latch circuit section 30. As a result, the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 is turned off, and the ninth MOS transistor 34 and the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 are turned on.

  As described above, in the state 1, since both the twelfth MOS transistor 37 and the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 are in the OFF state, the latch circuit including the sixth MOS transistor 31, the seventh MOS transistor 32, the tenth MOS transistor 35, and the eleventh MOS transistor 36 is formed. No current flows from the power supply voltage Vs side. Further, since the eighth MOS transistor 33 and the ninth MOS transistor 34 are in the ON state, the potentials of the nodes N3 and N4 in the differential latch circuit section 30 are the same potential as the ground, that is, zero potential. As a result, the voltages Vo1 and Vo2 output from the output terminals 42 and 43 of the comparator 10 are both in the “L” state (see FIG. 2). In this state 1, no current flows through the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30.

  In the state 1, the fourteenth MOS transistor 39 is turned on, so that the charge remaining at the connection point between the tenth MOS transistor 35 and the twelfth MOS transistor 37 can be completely discharged. Similarly, in the state 1, the fifteenth MOS transistor 40 is turned on, so that the charge remaining at the connection point between the eleventh MOS transistor 36 and the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 can be completely discharged.

  4A to 4C, the characteristics before time t1 are the output voltages Vo1 and Vo2 of the comparator 10 in the state 1, the output voltages Vg1 and Vg2 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and The state of the change of the clock voltage is shown. However, in the characteristics of FIGS. 4A to 4C, the “H” state corresponds to 1V, and the “L” state corresponds to 0V.

  Next, a state during operation of the comparator 10 (state 2) will be described with reference to FIG. However, in the example of FIG. 3, a case is considered in which the voltage value Vi1 input to one input terminal 26 of the comparator 10 is larger than the voltage value Vi2 input to the other input terminal 27 (Vi1> Vi2).

  In state 2, the clock voltage input to the clock terminal 28 changes to the [H] state. As a result, the fourth MOS transistor 24 and the fifth MOS transistor 25 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 are turned off, and the third MOS transistor 23 is turned on. In the state 1 (preparation stage), the voltage values of the nodes N1 and N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 are in the “H” state. Therefore, when the third MOS transistor 23 is turned on in the state 2, the first MOS transistor 21 is turned on. A current flows from the nodes N1 and N2 to the ground through the second MOS transistor 22 and the third MOS transistor 23. As a result, the voltage values of the nodes N1 and N2 decrease with time and transition to the “L” state.

  At this time, however, currents corresponding to the voltage values Vi1 and Vi2 applied to the gate terminals of the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 flow. In the example of FIG. 3, since Vi1> Vi2, the current flowing through the first MOS transistor 21 is larger than the current flowing through the second MOS transistor 22. As a result, the voltage drop rate with respect to time of voltage Vg1 at node N1 is larger than the voltage drop rate with respect to time of voltage Vg2 at node N2.

  This is shown in FIG. After switching the state of comparator 10 to state 2 (after time t1), voltage Vg1 at node N1 transitions to the “L” state earlier than voltage Vg2 at node N2. Therefore, the voltage Vg2 (CLK2) is higher than the voltage Vg1 (CLK1) during the period from the start of operation to the transition of the voltage Vg2 to the “L” state. That is, during the transition period of the voltage Vg2, the gate voltage of the ninth MOS transistor 33 in the differential latch circuit section 30 is higher than the gate voltage of the eighth MOS transistor 33. Further, in the state 2, the voltage Vg 1 makes a transition to the “L” state earlier than the voltage Vg 2, so that the eighth MOS transistor 33 is turned off before the ninth MOS transistor 34.

  Further, during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2, the gate voltages (Vg1 and Vg2) of the twelfth MOS transistor 37 and the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 in the differential latch circuit section 30 start to decrease. As a result, both the twelfth MOS transistor 37 and the thirteenth MOS transistor 38 approach the ON state, so that a current starts to flow through the latch circuit including the sixth MOS transistor 31, the seventh MOS transistor 32, the tenth MOS transistor 35, and the eleventh MOS transistor 36. However, at this time, since the eighth MOS transistor 33 in the differential latch circuit section 30 approaches the OFF state before the ninth MOS transistor 34, the voltage Vo1 at the node N3 becomes slightly higher than the voltage Vo2 at the node N4.

  4A to 4C show changes in the output voltages Vo1 and Vo2 of the comparator 10, the output voltages Vg1 and Vg2 of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and the clock voltage during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2. ) Will be described in detail. When the state of the comparator 10 is switched to the state 2 (after time t1), current starts to flow through the latch circuit, so that the voltage values Vo1 and Vo2 of the nodes N3 and N4 both start to rise from the “L” state (FIG. 4). (See (a)). However, during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2, a potential difference (Vg2> Vg1) is generated between the gate voltage Vg2 of the ninth MOS transistor 34 and the gate voltage Vg1 of the eighth MOS transistor 33 (FIG. 4B). )), Near the time t2 in FIG. 4A, the voltage Vo1 at the node N3 starts to become higher than the voltage Vo2 at the node N4. Note that a period td from when the state is switched to when the voltage value Vo1 of the node N3 starts to become higher than the voltage value Vo2 of the node N4 is about 50 to 100 psec.

  Thereby, the state of the seventh MOS transistor 32 whose gate terminal is connected to the node N3 is closer to the ON state. Further, the state of the other eleventh MOS transistor 36 whose gate terminal is connected to the node N3 is closer to the OFF state. As a result, a current easily flows through the seventh MOS transistor 32, and the voltage at the node N4 starts to decrease.

  At this time, the voltage Vo1 at the node N3 becomes higher than the voltage Vo2 at the node N4, so that the state of the sixth MOS transistor 31 whose gate terminal is connected to the node N4 is closer to the OFF state. Further, the state of the other tenth MOS transistor 35 whose gate terminal is connected to the node N4 is closer to the ON state. As a result, it becomes difficult for current to flow through the sixth MOS transistor 31, and the voltage at the node N3 starts to rise.

  In the differential latch circuit section 30, the above-described operation is repeated with time during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2, the voltage value Vo1 at the node N3 continues to increase, and the voltage value Vo2 at the node N4 decreases. Continue (see FIG. 4A). That is, during the transition period of the voltage Vg2 at the node N2, positive feedback acts in the latch circuit including the sixth MOS transistor 31, the seventh MOS transistor 32, the tenth MOS transistor 35, and the eleventh MOS transistor 36, and finally the node N3. The voltage Vo1 at is fixed to the [H] state, and the voltage Vo2 at the node N4 is fixed to the [L] state. As a result, the comparison state (comparison result) of the input voltages Vi1 and Vi2 is held in the differential latch circuit 30 and output from the output terminals 42 and 43.

  After the voltage values (output voltages) of the nodes N3 and N4 are fixed, the gate voltages Vg1 (CLK1) and Vg2 (CLK2) applied to the eighth MOS transistor 33 and the ninth MOS transistor 34 are both in the “L” state. Since both transistors are in the OFF state, no steady current flows in the differential latch circuit section 30.

  The comparator 10 of this embodiment operates as described above. In the comparator 10 of the present embodiment, the combination of the states (“L” state or “H” state) of the output voltages Vo1 and Vo2 during operation varies depending on the magnitude relationship between the input voltages Vi1 and Vi2. As the output signal of the comparator 10, either one of the output voltages Vo1 and Vo2 may be used, or the difference between the two may be used.

  As is clear from the above description of the operation, it can be seen that the comparator 10 of this embodiment operates in the same manner as the conventional comparator 400 described with reference to FIGS. However, in this embodiment, since the operation of the differential latch circuit unit 30 is controlled using the output signals (Vg1 and Vg2) from the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, the operation of the differential latch circuit unit 30 is controlled. The rising / falling timing of the voltage signals (Vg1 and Vg2) to be performed does not depend on the timing of the clock signal CLK input to the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the problem caused by the timing shift between two clock signals having different polarities in the conventional comparator 400 can be solved. Therefore, the comparator 10 of the present embodiment can operate more stably than the conventional one.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the number of clock signals input to the comparator 10 is one, the number of clock circuits can be reduced as compared with the prior art, so that it can be driven with lower power than in the prior art.

  In the comparator 10 of the present embodiment, the current flowing in the inverter composed of the sixth MOS transistor 31 and the tenth MOS transistor 35 is controlled by the twelfth MOS transistor 37 and the eighth MOS transistor 33. In the present embodiment, since the control signal (Vg1) input to the gate terminals of the twelfth MOS transistor 37 and the eighth MOS transistor 33 is common, the twelfth MOS transistor 37 pushes current into the inverter, and the eighth MOS transistor 33 Thus, the operation of drawing current into the inverter is performed in synchronization. That is, a circuit composed of these transistors is a push-pull type current control circuit. Similarly, the circuit composed of the thirteenth MOS transistor 38, the eleventh MOS transistor 36, the seventh MOS transistor 32, and the ninth MOS transistor 34 is also a push-pull type current control circuit. Therefore, in this embodiment, due to the push-pull action of this current, the operation speed of the latch circuit composed of the sixth MOS transistor 31, the seventh MOS transistor 32, the tenth MOS transistor 35, and the eleventh MOS transistor 36, that is, the operation of the comparator 10 Speed can be increased and sensitivity can be increased.

Here, FIG. 5 shows sensitivity characteristics of the comparator 10 of the present embodiment and the conventional comparator 400. The horizontal axis of the characteristic in FIG. 5 is a value obtained by subtracting the offset voltage V _offset of the comparator from the transition voltage ΔVin (difference between the reference voltage and the input voltage). The position of 0 V on the horizontal axis in FIG. 5 is a threshold voltage that distinguishes whether the signal output from the comparator is in the “H” state or the “L” state. The vertical axis in FIG. 5 is the probability P that the comparator outputs a signal in the “H” state, and the probability that the comparator outputs a signal in the “H” state as the voltage value on the horizontal axis goes to the plus side. P increases. Note that the diamond-shaped characteristics 45 in FIG. 5 are the sensitivity characteristics of the comparator 10 of the present embodiment, and the square-shaped characteristics 46 are the sensitivity characteristics of the conventional comparator 400.

  Note that an ideal comparator outputs an “H” state signal from the comparator with a probability of 100% if it is on the positive side with respect to the voltage value 0 V on the horizontal axis, and on the negative side. If there is, the signal in the “L” state is output from the comparator with a probability of 100%. However, in the actual comparator, due to the influence of the thermal noise of the circuit, etc., as shown in FIG. 5, the sensitivity characteristic has a slope near the voltage value 0V, and a signal in the “H” state is output near the voltage value 0V. The probability P of being about 50%. In order to obtain a comparator with high sensitivity and high accuracy, it is necessary to increase the slope of the sensitivity characteristic in the vicinity of the voltage value 0 V in the sensitivity characteristic as shown in FIG.

  As apparent from FIG. 5, the slope of the sensitivity characteristic 45 of the comparator 10 of the present embodiment in the vicinity of the voltage value 0V is larger than that of the conventional comparator 400. Further, when the standard deviation ΔVm (σ) of the sensitivity characteristic shown in FIG. 5 is obtained, the standard deviation of the present embodiment is ΔVin (σ) = 0.66 mV, whereas the standard deviation of the conventional comparator 400 is ΔVin (σ) = 2.1 mV. From this result, it can be seen that the sensitivity of the comparator 10 of the present embodiment is improved about three times compared to the sensitivity of the conventional comparator 10.

  From the above, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide a comparator that can operate with lower power and more stable than the conventional comparator and that operates with high sensitivity (high accuracy).

[Configuration of A / D converter]
Next, an example of an A / D converter to which the above-described comparator 10 of the present embodiment is applied will be described. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the A / D converter. The A / D converter 13 illustrated in FIG. 6 is a parallel A / D converter, and mainly includes a plurality of comparators 10a to 10h arranged in parallel and a plurality of NAND circuits 11a to 11g arranged in parallel. And an encoder 12 and a plurality of resistors R _{0 to} R ₈ connected in series.

Each of the input terminals on the positive side of the comparators 10a to 10h is connected to a connection point between the resistors, and a reference voltage (V _{1 to} V ₈ is obtained by dividing the power supply voltage V _DD by the resistors R _{0 to} R _8. Is entered. On the other hand, the input voltage Vin to be compared with the reference voltage is input to each negative-side input terminal of the comparators 10a to 10h. That is, any _{one of} the reference voltages V _{1 to} V ₈ resistance-divided by the resistors R _{0 to} R ₈ becomes one of the input voltages Vi _{1 and} Vi _{2 in} FIG. 1, and the input voltage Vin to be compared becomes the other.

  In each of the NAND circuits 11a to 11g, one of the two input terminals is inverted. Hereinafter, the input terminal that is inverted is referred to as an inverted input terminal, and the input terminal that is not inverted is referred to as a normal input terminal. Then, the inverting input terminals of the NAND circuits 11a to 11g are connected to the output terminals of the comparators 10a to 10h, respectively. The normal input terminals of the NAND circuits 11a to 11g are connected to the inverting input terminal of the adjacent NAND circuit and the output terminal of the comparator arranged on the higher potential side than itself. Further, the output terminals of the NAND circuits 11 a to 11 g are connected to the encoder 102.

  FIG. 7 shows a truth table showing the relationship between the input signal and the output signal in the NAND circuit in which one input terminal is inverted. As shown in FIG. 7, the NAND circuit used in the present embodiment outputs a signal “0” (a signal in the “L” state) only when the combination of input signals [A, B] = [1, 0]. In other cases, a signal “1” (a signal in the “H” state) is output.

  The encoder 12 outputs an encoded (encoded) digital signal corresponding to the input signal based on the signals output from the plurality of NAND circuits 11a to 11g.

[Operation of A / D converter]
Next, the operation of the A / D converter 13 of this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. Note that the comparators 10a to 10h illustrated in FIG. 6 output a signal “0” when Vin is larger than the resistance-divided reference voltage, and output a signal “1” when Vin is smaller. In the example of FIG. 6, the signal “1” corresponds to 1V, and the signal “0” corresponds to 0V. FIG. 6 shows an example where Vin is smaller than V ₃ and larger than V ₄ (V ₃ >Vin> V ₄ ).

When the input voltage Vin (analog signal) is input to the A / D converter 13, Vin is smaller than V ₃ and larger than V ₄ , so that the output signals of the comparators 10 a to 10 c are “1”. The output signal of 10d to 10h is “0”. As a result, the combination of signals input to the NAND circuits 11a and 11b is [1, 1], and the output signals of the NAND circuits 11a and 11b are “1”. The combination of signals input to the NAND circuit 11c is [1, 0], and the output signal of the NAND circuit 11c is “0”. The combination of signals input to the NAND circuits 11d to 11g is [0, 0], and the output signals of the NAND circuits 11d to 11g are “1”. That is, the output signal is “0” only in the NAND circuit 11c, and the range of Vin is determined.

  Next, the encoder 12 outputs an encoded digital signal corresponding to the input voltage Vin based on the output signals of the NAND circuits 11a to 11g. The A / D converter 13 in the example of FIG. 6 operates as described above. In the configuration example of the A / D converter 13 illustrated in FIG. 6, the comparator 10 according to the present embodiment is used. Therefore, the A / D converter 13 can be stably operated, and has high sensitivity (high accuracy) and low power. It can be operated.

<Second Embodiment>

  Normally, the NMOS and PMOS transistors that constitute the above-described comparator are manufactured in a very small size, and thus there are variations in the threshold voltage values of these transistors. In this case, an offset occurs in the reference voltage for distinguishing the output signal based on the difference between the two voltages input to the comparator. In addition, this offset voltage differs for each comparator. Since the probability of malfunctioning increases when the offset voltage of the comparator is large, it is desirable to make this offset voltage as small as possible.

  The offset voltage of a comparator using a fine CMOS transistor in recent years is about 30 mV. However, since the quantization voltage Vqn of the A / D converter with N-bit resolution is expressed by Vqn = Vpp / 2N, if the signal amplitude Vpp = 2V and N = 10 bits, the quantization voltage Vqn is about 2 mV. Become. In this case, if the reference is set to 1/4 LSB, an offset voltage of 0.5 mV or less is required. Thus, in the present embodiment, a configuration example for further suppressing the offset voltage to about several mV or less in the comparator of the first embodiment will be described.

[Comparator configuration]
FIG. 8 shows a circuit configuration of the comparator of this embodiment. The comparator 50 mainly includes a dynamic differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 disposed on the input side (previous stage), a differential latch circuit unit 30 disposed on the output side (rear stage), and the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. And an offset voltage compensation circuit unit 60 connected to the. In the comparator 50 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the same components as those of the comparator 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30 of the comparator 50 of the present embodiment have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30 is omitted here. Note that symbols G, S, and D in FIG. 8 indicate a gate terminal, a source terminal, and a drain terminal of the transistor, respectively.

  The offset voltage compensation circuit unit 60 mainly includes two NMOS transistors 61 and 62 (hereinafter referred to as first and second compensation MOS transistors, respectively) and a voltage adjustment unit 63 that adjusts the gate voltage of these transistors. Prepare. Note that the first and second compensation MOS transistors 61 and 62 may be PMOS transistors.

  Although not shown in FIG. 8, the offset voltage compensation circuit unit 60 includes a control circuit unit (not shown in FIG. 8) that controls the opening and closing of the switches 67 and 68 in the voltage adjustment unit 63, and the offset voltage of the comparator 50. A switching unit (not shown in FIG. 8) for switching between the compensation operation and the normal comparison operation is provided.

  The voltage adjustment unit 63 includes a bias power supply 64, a capacitor 65, two charge pumps 66 and 69 (hereinafter referred to as first and second charge pumps, respectively), and two switches 67 and 68.

  The output terminal of the first charge pump 66 is connected to one terminal of the switch 67, and the other terminal of the switch 67 is connected to one terminal of the switch 68. The other terminal of the switch 68 is connected to the input terminal of the second charge pump 69, and the output terminal of the second charge pump 69 is grounded. The connection point between the two switches 67 and 68 is connected to the ungrounded terminal of the capacitor 65.

  The gate terminal of the first compensation MOS transistor 61 is connected to the terminal of the capacitor 65 that is not grounded. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the first compensation MOS transistor 61 is connected to a connection point between the first MOS transistor 21 and the fourth MOS transistor 24 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the first compensation MOS transistor 61 is connected to the source terminals (output side terminals) of the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22.

  The gate terminal of the second compensation MOS transistor 62 is connected to the bias power supply 64. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the second compensation MOS transistor 62 is connected to a connection point between the second MOS transistor 22 and the fifth MOS transistor 25 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20. The source terminal (output side terminal) of the second compensation MOS transistor 62 is connected to the source terminals (output side terminals) of the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22.

  FIG. 9 shows a more detailed configuration example of the comparator 50 including a control circuit unit that controls opening and closing of the switches 67 and 68 and a switching unit that switches between the offset voltage compensation operation and the normal comparison operation. Regions 72 and 78 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 9 are a control circuit unit and a switching unit, respectively. In FIG. 9, the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30 are collectively displayed as a single circuit element 51 for simplification.

  The control circuit unit 72 includes a first AND circuit 70 and a second AND circuit 71. One output voltage Vo1 of the comparator 50 and the calibration signal CAL are input to the first AND circuit 70. The first AND circuit 70 controls opening and closing of the switch 68 based on these input signals. On the other hand, the second output voltage Vo2 of the comparator 50 and the calibration signal CAL are input to the second AND circuit 71. The second AND circuit 71 controls opening and closing of the switch 67 based on these input signals.

  The switching unit 78 includes five switches 73 to 77 for switching between the offset voltage compensation operation of the comparator 50 and the normal comparison operation.

  The switch 74 is provided between the input terminals of the comparator 50, and one terminal thereof is connected to the switch 73 and the other terminal is connected to the switch 75. The terminal of the switch 73 and the switch 75 that is not connected to the switch 74 is connected to the input terminal of the drive bias power supply Vcm for operating the comparator 50 during the offset voltage compensation operation. The opening / closing control of these switches 73 to 75 is performed by a calibration signal CAL input to the first and second AND circuits 70 and 71.

  On the other hand, the switch 76 is provided between the input terminal 26 and the circuit element 51, and the switch 77 is provided between the input terminal 27 and the circuit element 51. The opening / closing control of these switches is controlled by a signal having a phase opposite to that of the calibration signal CAL.

  In this embodiment, when the comparator 50 is performing the offset voltage compensation operation, the switches 73 to 75 are closed and the switches 76 and 77 are opened. Further, when the comparator 50 is performing a normal comparison operation, control is performed so that the switches 73 to 75 are opened and the switches 76 and 77 are closed.

[Offset voltage compensation operation]
Next, the offset voltage compensation operation will be described. Before describing the specific operation, the principle of the offset voltage compensation operation in this embodiment will be described.

  First, the input terminals 26 and 27 of the comparator 50 are short-circuited to make the gate voltages of the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 the same potential. When the comparator 50 is operated in this state, a current flows into the first MOS transistor 21 (forward rotation side transistor) and the second MOS transistor 22 (inversion side transistor). At this time, if there is an offset voltage in the comparator 50, the values of the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 are different (unbalanced). On the other hand, when there is no offset voltage in the comparator 50, the values of the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 are equal (balanced).

  In the compensation operation of the comparator 50 of the present embodiment, the first and second compensations are made so that the values of the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 are equal in a state where the input terminals 26 and 27 are short-circuited. The gate voltages of the MOS transistors 61 and 62 are adjusted relatively. However, in this embodiment, whether or not the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 are balanced is determined based on the signal Vo (Vo1 and / or Vo2) output from the comparator 50 during the compensation operation. Monitor changes to determine.

As described in the sensitivity characteristic of the comparator shown in FIG. 5, when the value obtained by subtracting the offset voltage V _offset of the comparator from the transition voltage ΔVin (difference between the reference voltage and the input voltage) is in the vicinity of 0 V, the comparison is performed. The probability that an “H” state signal will be output from the device and the probability that an “L” state signal will be output are both approximately 50%. That is, when the input voltage difference is 0V and the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 are balanced (offset voltage = 0V), the comparator 50 outputs an “H” state signal. And the probability that the signal in the “L” state is output are substantially the same.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, during the compensation operation, the first and second probabilities are set so that the probability that the signal in the “H” state is output from the comparator 50 is the same as the probability that the signal in the “L” state is output. The gate voltages of the second compensating MOS transistors 61 and 62 are relatively adjusted.

  Next, the offset voltage compensation operation in the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating changes in the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 during the compensation operation, the output signal Vo from the comparator 50, and the clock signal during the compensation operation.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the bias voltage Vb applied to the gate terminal of the second compensation MOS transistor 62 is set to a predetermined value, and the gate voltage Vc of the first compensation MOS transistor 61 (potential Vc of the capacitor 65) is adjusted. Thus, a case where the offset voltage is compensated will be described. In the example of FIG. 10, a case is considered in which a signal (Vo = 1V) in the “H” state is continuously output from the comparator 50 at the start of the compensation operation (see Vo in FIG. 10). Furthermore, it is assumed that the output from the comparator 50 can be changed to a signal in the “L” state (Vo = 0 V) by lowering the potential Vc of the capacitor 65.

  First, the switches 73 to 75 are closed by the calibration signal CAL, the comparator 50 is operated, and the offset voltage compensation operation is started. At the start of the compensation operation, the comparator 50 continuously outputs an “H” state signal (Vo = 1 in FIG. 10), so the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 is lowered. At this time, the control circuit unit 72 closes the switch 68 and the second charge pump 69 discharges the capacitor 65 to lower the potential Vc of the capacitor 65.

  Then, the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 is lowered step by step in units of clocks until the “L” state signal (Vo = 0V) is output from the comparator 50 (step 81 in FIG. 10). As a result, the number of clocks increases and the offset voltage decreases. When the offset voltage becomes sufficiently small, the comparator 50 outputs an “L” state signal.

  After the “L” state signal is output from the comparator 50, the switch 68 is opened by the control circuit 72 and the switch 67 is closed instead. As a result, the capacitor 65 is charged by the first charge pump 66, and the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 rises (step 82 in FIG. 10). As a result, an “H” state signal (Vo = 1V) is output from the comparator 50.

  Next, the switch 67 is opened again by the control circuit unit 72 and the switch 68 is closed instead. As a result, the capacitor 65 is discharged by the second charge pump 69, and the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 is lowered (step 83 in FIG. 10). As a result, an “L” state signal is output from the comparator 50. When such an operation is repeated, as shown in FIG. 10, the comparator 50 is in a state in which an “H” state signal and an “L” state signal are alternately output. In this state, the probability that the signal in the “H” state is output from the comparator 50 and the probability that the signal in the “L” state is output are substantially the same, and the offset voltage is compensated.

  In the comparator 50 of the present embodiment, the offset voltage is compensated as described above. As shown in FIG. 10, the period of the compensation operation requires time from the start of operation until the “H” state signal and the “L” state signal are alternately output from the comparator 50. For example, it can be about 1 μsec.

  Note that the offset voltage compensation operation of the comparator 50 is performed, for example, during a normal comparison operation. An example of the method is shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 11, using the master clock of the comparator 50 (the upper waveform in FIG. 11), a clock signal (middle waveform) for controlling the timing of the comparison operation and a clock signal for controlling the timing of the compensation operation. (Lower waveform) is generated. Specifically, the period of both clock signals is set to twice the period of the master clock, and the phases of both clock signals are shifted so that the timings at which the clock signals are in the “H” state do not overlap each other. By using the clock signal for controlling the timing of the comparison operation and the clock signal for controlling the timing of the compensation operation, the offset voltage compensation operation and the normal comparison operation can be alternately performed.

FIG. 12 shows a diagram comparing the offset voltage of the comparator 50 including the offset voltage compensation circuit unit 60 of the present embodiment and the offset voltage of the conventional comparator 400 (without the offset voltage compensation circuit). FIG. 12A shows the result of measuring the offset voltage distribution of each comparator 50 by arranging 64 comparators 50, the horizontal axis is the number of comparators (alignment number), and the vertical axis is each comparison. Is the offset voltage V _offset of the device. The solid line distribution in FIG. 12A is the offset voltage distribution of the comparator 50 of the present embodiment, and the broken line distribution is the offset voltage distribution of the conventional comparator 400. FIG. 12B shows a statistical distribution of the offset voltage.

As is apparent from FIG. 12A, the magnitude of the offset voltage is sufficiently suppressed in the comparator 50 of the present embodiment as compared with the conventional case. Further, when the standard deviation of the offset voltage is obtained from the statistical distribution of the offset voltage shown in FIG. 12B, the standard deviation ΔV _offset (σ) of the conventional comparator 400 is 13.7 mV. In this embodiment, the standard deviation ΔV _offset (σ) = 1.69 mV. That is, in the comparator 50 of the present embodiment, the standard deviation of the offset voltage can be reduced to about 1/8 compared with the conventional one.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 (the gate voltage of the first compensation MOS transistor 61) is adjusted has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Not only the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 but also the voltage Vb of the bias power supply 64 (the gate voltage of the second compensation MOS transistor 62) is adjusted to relatively adjust the voltage difference between the potential Vc of the capacitor 65 and the bias voltage Vb. May be.

<3. Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, another configuration example of a comparator having a function of suppressing an offset voltage will be described.

[Comparator configuration]
FIG. 13 shows a circuit configuration of the comparator of this embodiment. The comparator 80 mainly includes a dynamic differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 disposed on the input side (previous stage), a differential latch circuit unit 30 disposed on the output side (rear stage), and an offset provided therebetween. And a voltage compensation circuit unit 90. In the comparator 80 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the same components as those of the comparator 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30 of the comparator 80 of the present embodiment have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20 and the differential latch circuit unit 30 is omitted here.

  The offset voltage compensation circuit unit 90 mainly includes two variable capacitance elements 91 and 92, a control circuit unit (not shown) that performs capacitance control of the two variable capacitance elements 91 and 92, and an offset voltage compensation of the comparator 80. A switching unit (not shown) that switches between operation and normal comparison operation is provided. In addition, as a control circuit part and a switching part, the thing (refer FIG. 9) similar to 2nd Embodiment can be used, for example.

  One terminal of the variable capacitance element 91 is connected to the node N1 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, and the other terminal is grounded. One terminal of the variable capacitance element 92 is connected to the node N2 in the differential preamplifier circuit section 20, and the other terminal is grounded. The adjustment of the capacitance of each variable capacitance element is controlled by, for example, arranging a plurality of capacitance elements having different capacitances and using a switch circuit that selects at least one of them during the compensation operation. can do.

[Offset voltage compensation operation]
In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the two variable capacitors are set so that the values of the currents flowing into the first MOS transistor 21 and the second MOS transistor 22 become equal with the input terminals 26 and 27 short-circuited. The capacitance of the elements 91 and 92 is adjusted.

  The current flowing through the nodes N1 and N2 can also be adjusted by the size of the capacitance connected to the nodes N1 and N2. For example, if the capacitance of the capacitive element connected to the node is increased, it becomes difficult for the current to flow. Conversely, if the capacitance is small, the current is likely to flow. That is, the voltage drop at the node can be controlled by changing the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the node.

  Therefore, also in the offset voltage compensation circuit unit 90 of the present embodiment, the capacitances of the variable capacitance elements 91 and 92 are relatively adjusted during the compensation operation in the same manner as in the second embodiment (see FIG. 10). The offset voltage can be compensated.

  Further, when the absolute values of the capacitances of the variable capacitance elements 91 and 92 of the offset voltage compensation circuit unit 90 of the present embodiment are increased, even if noise is added to the output line of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 20, the variable capacitance elements 91 and 92. The noise is absorbed by the filter action of the above, and the sensitivity of the comparator 80 can be further improved. Therefore, in this case, a more accurate A / D converter can be provided.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
In a parallel A / D converter such as the A / D converter (see FIG. 6) described in the first embodiment, the same number of comparators as the reference voltage are provided. In such a configuration, if the resolution of the A / D converter is N, about ^2N reference voltages are required. For example, if the resolution is N = 10 bits, 1024 reference signals are required, and it is necessary to provide an equivalent number (about 1000) of comparators. When the number of comparators connected to the input terminal of the A / D converter increases, the capacity viewed from the input side of the A / D converter increases, and the frequency characteristics of the A / D converter deteriorate.

  In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to reduce the number of reference voltages, but in this case, the resolution is degraded. Therefore, as a method of reducing the number of reference voltages while maintaining the resolution, a reference voltage between two reference voltages (one interpolation voltage section) actually obtained by resistance division or the like is artificially generated by an interpolation technique to reduce the resolution. A method of maintaining is used.

FIG. 14 shows a comparison between two actually obtained reference voltages V _{r, n−1} and V _{r, n} , and a compensation reference voltage between the reference voltages and an input voltage to be compared. The change of the voltage output from the differential preamplifier circuit part is shown. The horizontal axis in FIG. 14 is the input voltage to the comparator, and the vertical axis is the output voltage from the differential preamplifier circuit section. The solid line characteristics in FIG. 14 indicate changes in the voltage output from the non-inverted transistor in the differential preamplifier circuit section, and the changes in the voltage output from the inversion side transistor in the broken line characteristics. Yes.

Here, for example, the reference voltage V _{r, n-1} and V _{r, n} (one interpolation voltage interval) is divided by k: m−k, and the interpolation reference voltage V _{r, k} and the input voltage are compared by a comparator. Consider the output voltage when In this case, the voltage V _k output from the forward rotation side transistor in the differential preamplifier circuit section is V _k = {(m−k) · V _n−1 + k · V _n } /, as shown in FIG. m. Further, the voltage _{V k_c} outputted from the inverted side transistor of the differential preamplifier circuit section _{becomes V k_c = {(m-k} ) · V n-1_c + k · V n_c} / m.

Note that V _n−1 and V _{n−1 — c} in the above formulas are the normal rotation side and the inversion side in the differential preamplifier circuit unit when the reference voltage V _{r, n−1} and the input voltage are compared by a comparator. The voltage output from each of the transistors. Further, V _n and V _{n_c} are voltages output from the normal and inversion transistors in the differential preamplifier circuit unit when the reference voltage V _{r, n} and the input voltage are compared by the comparator. .

That is, when four voltage signals V _n , V _{n — c} , V _n−1, and V _{n− 1 — c} are input to an interpolation type comparator capable of comparing the interpolation reference voltage V _{r, k} and the input voltage, the interpolation type The voltage signals V _k and V _{k — c} expressed by the above formula are output from the differential preamplifier circuit section in the comparator. In this embodiment, a configuration example of a comparator having such an interpolation function and an A / D converter using the comparator will be described.

[Configuration of A / D converter]
Before describing the configuration of the comparator of this embodiment, a configuration example of an A / D converter including the comparator having the interpolation function as described above will be described. FIG. 15 shows a schematic configuration of the A / D converter of the present embodiment. FIG. 15 shows only a portion connected to the dividing resistors R ₁ and R ₂ that generate the _two reference voltages V _{r, 1} and V _{r, 2} . That is, only the components related to one interpolation voltage section are shown. Further, in the present embodiment, a case is considered in which _{the two} reference voltages V _{r, 1} and V _{r, 2} are equally divided into m. Therefore, m-1 comparators 100 having an interpolation function are required in one interpolation voltage section.

In the comparator 150 of the present embodiment, a plurality of differential amplifiers (151, 152...) Are provided between the plurality of comparators 100 having an interpolation function and the dividing resistors (R ₁ , R ₂ ...). In this embodiment, the reference voltages V _{r, 1} and V _{r, 2} (one interpolation voltage interval) are equally divided into m, so that m−1 are provided at the differential output terminals of the two differential amplifiers 151 and 152. Are connected in parallel.

In addition, each comparator 100, two output voltages _{V 1} and _{V 1_C} of one differential amplifier 151, and two output voltages _{V 2} and _{V 2_C} of the other differential amplifier 152 is inputted. At this time, the output voltages V ₁ and V ₂ are input to the normal rotation side MOS transistor of the differential preamplifier circuit in the comparator 100, and the output voltages V _{1_c} and V _{2_c} are input to the inversion side MOS transistor. The The output voltage _V 1 of the two differential amplifiers 151 and _{152, V 1_c, V 2} and _{V 2_C,} for example, _{V n-1,} respectively, of FIG in _{14, V n-1_c,} corresponding to _{V n} and _{V n_c} To do.

  With this configuration, the reference voltage can be reduced. As a result, the capacity viewed from the input side of the A / D converter can be reduced, and deterioration of the frequency characteristics can be prevented. In addition, the number of resistors and peripheral circuits necessary for generating the reference voltage can be reduced.

[Comparator configuration]
FIG. 16 shows a circuit configuration of the comparator 100 of the present embodiment. The comparator 100 mainly includes a dynamic differential preamplifier circuit unit 120 disposed on the input side (previous stage) and a differential latch circuit unit 30 disposed on the output side (rear stage). In the comparator 100 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the same components as those of the comparator 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The differential latch circuit unit 30 of the comparator 100 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of the differential latch circuit unit 30 is omitted here.

  The differential preamplifier circuit unit 120 (differential amplifier circuit unit) includes five NMOS transistors 101 to 104 and 23 and two PMOS transistors 24 and 25. In the present embodiment, the transistors on the normal rotation side of the input differential transistor pair in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120 are constituted by two NMOS transistors 101 and 102. The inversion side transistor is composed of two NMOS transistors 103 and 104. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The gate terminal of one of the NMOS transistors 101 (first MOS transistors) on the normal rotation side is connected to the input terminal 111, and the output voltage V ₁ (the first input voltage signal) on the normal rotation side of the differential amplifier 151 is connected to the input terminal 111. ) Is entered. That is, the output voltage V ₁ on the normal rotation side of the differential amplifier 151 becomes the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 101. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 101 is connected to the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the fourth MOS transistor 24. Further, the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 101 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the third MOS transistor 23.

The gate terminal of the other NMOS transistor 102 (16th MOS transistor) on the normal rotation side is connected to the input terminal 112, and the output voltage V ₂ (the third input voltage signal) on the normal rotation side of the differential amplifier 152 is connected to the input terminal 112. ) Is entered. That is, the output voltage V ₂ on the normal rotation side of the differential amplifier 152 becomes the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 102. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 102 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 101. Further, the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 102 is connected to the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 101.

The gate terminal of one inverting NMOS transistor 103 (second MOS transistor) is connected to the input terminal 113, and the input terminal 113 is connected to the inverting output voltage V 1 — _c (second input voltage signal) of the differential amplifier 151. ) Is entered. That is, the output voltage V 1 — _c on the inverting side of the differential amplifier 151 becomes the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 103. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 103 is connected to the drain terminal (output side terminal) of the fifth MOS transistor 25. Further, the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 102 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the third MOS transistor 23.

The gate terminal of the other NMOS transistor 104 (17th MOS transistor) on the inverting side is connected to the input terminal 114, and the output voltage V 2 — _c (fourth input voltage signal) on the inverting side of the differential amplifier 152 is connected to the input terminal 114. Entered. That is, the output voltage V 2 — _c on the inverting side of the differential amplifier 152 becomes the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 104. The drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 104 is connected to the drain terminal (input side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 103. Further, the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 104 is connected to the source terminal (output side terminal) of the NMOS transistor 103.

  In the comparator 100 of the present embodiment, the channel width W (transistor width) and the channel length L (transistor width) of the NMOS transistors 101 to 104 constituting the input differential transistor pair in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120. The ratio between the input voltage and a predetermined interpolation reference voltage can be compared by changing the ratio to the length) (hereinafter referred to as W / L ratio).

[Operation principle of comparator]
Next, the operation principle of the comparator 100 of this embodiment will be described. Here, a case is considered in which the W / L ratio is changed by changing the channel width W of the NMOS transistors 101 to 104 constituting the input differential transistor pair. Further, the channel length L, the carrier movement amount μ, the unit gate capacitance C _ox and the threshold voltage V _T of the NMOS transistors 101 to 104 are assumed to be equal in all the transistors.

Currents I _{ds —} 101, I _{ds — 102} , I _{ds — 103} and I _{ds —} 104 flowing through the NMOS transistors 101 to 104 are each expressed by the following formula 1. Note that W _{101 to} W _{104 in} Equation 1 below are channel widths of the NMOS transistors 101 to ₁₀₄ , respectively.

  In the comparison operation of the comparator 100, a current obtained by adding the currents flowing through the two normal-side NMOS transistors 101 and 102 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120 and the current flowing through the two inversion-side NMOS transistors 103 and 104, respectively. Compare the current with the current. Each total current is expressed by the following equation.

Here, W ₁₀₁ = W ₁₀₃ = W 1, W ₁₀₂ = W ₁₀₄ = W 2, W 1: W 2 = (m−k): k, and the boundary condition in which both the combined currents of the above Equation 2 are equal is given by the following Equation 3. Ask.

  When the above formula 3 is further rewritten, the following formula 4 is obtained.

Expressions on both sides of Equation 4 above and the output voltage V _k on the normal rotation side and the output voltage V _{k_c} on the reverse side output from the differential preamplifier circuit unit with respect to the interpolation reference voltage V _{r, k} described in FIG. As can be seen from a comparison with the equation, the left side of the equation 4 indicates the output voltage on the normal rotation side of the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120, and the right side indicates the output voltage on the inversion side.

That is, in the comparator 100 according to the present embodiment, when four input voltages V ₁ , V _{1 — c} , V _2, and V _{2 — c} are input to the comparator 100, the positive polarity of the transistor pair in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120 is determined. The voltage represented by the left side of Equation 4 is output from the rotation side, and the voltage represented by the right side of Equation 4 is output from the inversion side. This is in a comparator 100, reference voltage _{V r} in FIG. _{15, 1} and _{V r, 2} between the (m-k): the interpolated reference voltage divided by k, pseudo comparison operation is performed Means that. Therefore, in the comparator 100 of this embodiment, by setting the ratio of the channel width W1 of the NMOS transistors 101 and 103 to the channel width W2 of the NMOS transistor 102 as W1: W2 = (m−k): k, The comparison operation can be performed with a predetermined interpolation reference voltage. For example, if W1: W2 = 1: 1, the comparison operation can be performed with an intermediate interpolation reference voltage between the reference voltages V _{r, 1} and V _{r, 2} .

  In the present embodiment, based on the compensation principle, the W / L ratio of the NMOS transistors 101 to 104 in the differential preamplifier circuit unit is appropriately set so that each comparator 100 can perform a comparison operation with a desired interpolation reference voltage. adjust.

  In the A / D converter shown in FIG. 15, every m−1 comparators 100 connected to the differential output terminals of the two differential amplifiers 151 and 152 are provided in the differential preamplifier circuit unit 120. The ratio between the channel width W1 of the NMOS transistors 101 and 103 and the channel width W2 of the NMOS transistor 102 is set to be different. In the above description, the example in which the W / L ratio is adjusted by changing the channel width W of each transistor has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the W / L ratio is adjusted by changing the channel length L. Alternatively, the W / L ratio may be adjusted by changing both the channel width W and the channel length L.

  Further, when adjusting the W / L ratio of the NMOS transistor, it is preferable to adjust the channel width W as described above for ease of adjustment. As an adjustment method, the channel width W may be simply increased, or a plurality of MOS transistors having the minimum pattern of the channel width W may be formed on an LSI chip and connected in parallel. An example is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic top view of an NMOS transistor. In the example of FIG. 17, a plurality of drain regions (D) and source regions (S) having a channel width W are alternately formed along the direction of current flow, and a gate is formed between each drain region (D) and source region (S). Region (G) is formed. As a result, a plurality of MOS transistors having a minimum pattern with a channel width W are formed. Then, the drain regions, the source regions, and the gate regions are connected to each other, and a plurality of MOS transistors having a minimum channel width W are connected in parallel. As a result, the channel W is equivalently expanded in the entire NMOS transistor. When the channel width W is adjusted by such a method, the layout of the pattern on the chip becomes more compact and the density is improved.

It is a schematic circuit block diagram of the comparator of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state before operation | movement of the comparator of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of operation | movement of the comparator of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a change in the output signal of the comparator of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a change in the output voltage from the differential preamplifier circuit unit. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a change in the clock signal that controls the operation of the comparator. It is a figure which shows the sensitivity characteristic of a comparator. It is a schematic block diagram of the A / D converter of 1st Embodiment. It is a truth table showing the relationship between the input signal and output signal of the NAND circuit used in the first embodiment. It is a schematic circuit block diagram of the comparator of 2nd Embodiment. It is a more detailed schematic block diagram of the comparator of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the compensation operation | movement in the comparator of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the timing of compensation operation | movement, and the timing of comparison operation. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the offset voltage distribution of the comparator, and FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the statistical distribution of the offset voltage. It is a schematic circuit block diagram of the comparator of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the interpolation principle used in 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the A / D converter of 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic circuit block diagram of the comparator of 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic top view of the NMOS transistor used with the comparator of 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state before operation | movement of the conventional comparator. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of operation | movement of the conventional comparator. 20A is a diagram showing a change in the output signal of the conventional comparator, and FIG. 20B is a diagram showing a change in the output voltage from the differential preamplifier circuit unit. () Is a diagram showing changes in the clock signal for controlling the operation of the comparator.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,10a-10h, 50,80,100 ... Comparator, 11a-11g ... NAND circuit, 12 ... Encoder, 13,150 ... A / D converter, 20, 120 ... Differential preamplifier circuit part (Differential amplifier circuit) Part), 21, 101 ... 1st MOS transistor, 22, 103 ... 2nd MOS transistor, 23 ... 3rd MOS transistor, 24 ... 4th MOS transistor, 25 ... 5th MOS transistor, 26, 27 ... Input terminal, 28 ... Clock terminal, 30 ... Differential latch circuit unit 31. Sixth MOS transistor 32. Seventh MOS transistor 33. Eighth MOS transistor 34. Ninth MOS transistor 35. Tenth MOS transistor 36. Eleventh MOS transistor 37. ... 13th MOS transistor, 39 ... 14 MOS transistor, 40 ... 15th MOS transistor, 42, 43 ... Output terminal, 60, 90 ... Offset voltage compensation circuit section, 61 ... First compensation MOS transistor, 62 ... Second compensation MOS transistor, 63 ... Voltage adjustment section, 72: control circuit section, 78: switching section, 91, 92: variable capacitance element, 102: 16th MOS transistor, 104: 17th MOS transistor, 151, 152: differential amplifier

Claims (8)

First and second input voltage signals and a clock signal are input, operate based on the clock signal, and correspond to the values of the first and second input voltage signals, respectively, and amplified first and second A differential amplifier circuit for outputting an output voltage signal;
A comparator that operates based on the first and second output voltage signals and holds and outputs a comparison result of the first and second input voltage signals. The differential amplifier circuit section includes first to third MOS transistors whose channel polarity is a first polarity, and fourth and fifth MOS transistors whose channel polarity is a second polarity different from the first polarity. Have
A gate terminal of the first MOS transistor is connected to an input terminal of the first input voltage signal;
A gate terminal of the second MOS transistor is connected to an input terminal of the second input voltage signal;
The gate terminal of the third MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the clock signal, the input side terminal of the third MOS transistor is connected to the output side terminals of the first and second MOS transistors, and the output of the third MOS transistor The side terminal is grounded,
The gate terminal of the fourth MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the clock signal, the input side terminal of the fourth MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the power supply voltage, and the output side terminal of the fourth MOS transistor is the first MOS Connected to the input terminal of the transistor,
The gate terminal of the fifth MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the clock signal, the input side terminal of the fifth MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the power supply voltage, and the output side terminal of the fifth MOS transistor is the first terminal. Connected to the input terminal of the 2MOS transistor,
The first output voltage signal is output from a first connection point between the input side terminal of the first MOS transistor and the output side terminal of the fourth MOS transistor, and the input side terminal of the second MOS transistor and the fifth MOS transistor The comparator according to claim 1, wherein the second output voltage signal is output from a second connection point with an output side terminal. The differential latch circuit section includes sixth to ninth MOS transistors whose channel polarity is a first polarity, and tenth to thirteenth MOS transistors whose channel polarity is a second polarity different from the first polarity. Have
The gate terminal of the sixth MOS transistor is connected to the gate terminal of the tenth MOS transistor, the input side terminal of the sixth MOS transistor is connected to the output side terminal of the tenth MOS transistor, and the output side terminal of the sixth MOS transistor Is grounded,
The gate terminal of the seventh MOS transistor is connected to the gate terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor, the input side terminal of the seventh MOS transistor is connected to the output side terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor, and the output side terminal of the seventh MOS transistor Is grounded,
A third connection point between the input side terminal of the sixth MOS transistor and the output side terminal of the tenth MOS transistor, and a fourth connection point between the input side terminal of the seventh MOS transistor and the output side terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor. , And a fifth connection point between the gate terminal of the seventh MOS transistor and the gate terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor, and a sixth connection point between the gate terminal of the sixth MOS transistor and the gate terminal of the tenth MOS transistor, respectively. Has been
A gate terminal of the eighth MOS transistor is connected to an output terminal of the first output voltage signal in the differential amplifier; an input side terminal of the eighth MOS transistor is connected to an input side terminal of the sixth MOS transistor; and The output side terminal of the eighth MOS transistor is grounded;
A gate terminal of the ninth MOS transistor is connected to an output terminal of the second output voltage signal in the differential amplifier; an input side terminal of the ninth MOS transistor is connected to an input side terminal of the seventh MOS transistor; The output terminal of the 9MOS transistor is grounded,
The gate terminal of the twelfth MOS transistor is connected to the output terminal of the first output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit section, the input side terminal of the twelfth MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the power supply voltage, and the first An output terminal of the 12MOS transistor is connected to an input terminal of the tenth MOS transistor;
A gate terminal of the thirteenth MOS transistor is connected to an output terminal of the second output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit section; an input side terminal of the thirteenth MOS transistor is connected to an input terminal of the power supply voltage; and The output side terminal of the 13th MOS transistor is connected to the input side terminal of the 11th MOS transistor;
The comparator according to claim 1, wherein the comparison result is output from the third and fourth connection points. The differential latch circuit section further includes fourteenth and fifteenth MOS transistors whose channel polarity is the first polarity,
A gate terminal of the fourteenth MOS transistor is connected to an output terminal of the first output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit section; an input side terminal of the fourteenth MOS transistor is connected to an input side terminal of the tenth MOS transistor; and The output side terminal of the 14th MOS transistor is grounded,
A gate terminal of the fifteenth MOS transistor is connected to an output terminal of the second output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit section; an input side terminal of the fifteenth MOS transistor is connected to an input side terminal of the eleventh MOS transistor; and The comparator according to claim 3, wherein an output side terminal of the fifteenth MOS transistor is grounded. Furthermore, an offset voltage compensation circuit for compensating the offset voltage is provided,
The offset voltage compensation circuit includes:
A first compensating MOS transistor having input and output terminals connected to the input and output terminals of the first MOS transistor;
A second compensation MOS transistor having input and output terminals connected to the input and output terminals of the second MOS transistor;
A voltage adjusting unit that is connected to each gate terminal of the first and second compensation transistors and adjusts each gate voltage;
A control circuit unit for controlling the adjustment operation of the gate voltage of the first and second compensation transistors in the voltage adjustment unit;
The comparator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: a switching unit that switches between an operation of comparing the first and second input voltage signals and an operation of compensating the offset voltage. Furthermore, an offset voltage compensation circuit for compensating the offset voltage is provided,
The offset voltage compensation circuit includes:
A first variable capacitance element connected to an output terminal of the first output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit unit;
A second variable capacitance element connected to an output terminal of the second output voltage signal in the differential amplifier circuit unit;
A control circuit unit that performs adjustment control of capacitance of the first and second variable capacitance elements;
The comparator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: a switching unit that switches between an operation of comparing the first and second input voltage signals and an operation of compensating the offset voltage. The differential amplifier circuit unit further includes sixteenth and seventeenth MOS transistors whose channel polarity is the first polarity,
The input side and output side terminals of the 16th MOS transistor are connected to the input side and output side terminals of the first MOS transistor, respectively, and the gate terminal of the 16th MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the third input voltage signal. And
The input side and output side terminals of the 17th MOS transistor are connected to the input side and output side terminals of the second MOS transistor, respectively, and the gate terminal of the 17th MOS transistor is connected to the input terminal of the fourth input voltage signal. And
The ratio W / L between the channel width W and the channel length L of each of the first, second, sixteenth, and seventeenth MOS transistors is adjusted so that a comparison operation can be performed with a predetermined interpolation voltage. The comparator according to claim 6. A plurality of comparators that receive an input voltage signal, a reference voltage signal to be compared with the input voltage signal, and a clock signal, and that output a comparison result between the input voltage signal and the reference voltage signal;
An encoder that outputs a digital signal corresponding to the input voltage signal based on the comparison results output from the plurality of comparators;
The comparator operates based on the clock signal, and outputs a first and second output voltage signal corresponding to the values of the input voltage signal and the reference voltage signal, respectively, and amplified; A differential latch circuit unit that operates based on the first and second output voltage signals and holds and outputs the comparison result between the input voltage signal and the reference voltage signal.

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